Hi, I’m Joella.
Welcome and thank you for being here.
Here I will share a little about me for those of you who are curious to know more. Let me begin by saying that beyond the perceptions and ideas that I hold about myself, quite simply: I am.
I am here to support healing in its many forms. This feels more true to me than any label that I identify with. I hold space as a somatic psychotherapist and holistic counsellor, integrating both eastern and western healing modalities into my private practice. I also have over 10 years of experience in guiding individuals and groups through the practice of yoga and meditation.
My approach as a therapist has been shaped by years of personal exploration within various healing modalities and practices, my formal education and research, as well as my experience in supporting people both one-to-one and in group settings. I’m a certified Compassionate Inquiry® practitioner. Compassionate Inquiry® is a somatic psychotherapeutic approach that reveals what lies beneath the appearance that we present to the world. My training in Compassionate Inquiry has emphasised the importance of creating safe, compassionate, person-centred and trauma-informed spaces for self-inquiry.
I currently have a private practice and support clients online worldwide. I offer an integrative approach to therapy, accounting for one’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. I teach yoga in my local community and co-facilitate healing retreats internationally. It’s truly an honour to hold space for people engaging in self-inquiry, awakening to their true potential and transforming their lives.
In addition to practices of individual self-healing, my understanding is that healing happens through music, dance, nature’s medicine, wholesome food, and creative expression in its many forms. My perspective embraces the connection between ourselves and all aspects of nature — this is what the Zen Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh called the Insight of Interbeing. I believe that beneath the many layers of conditioning we can all remember the Insight of Interbeing: This is the essence of what we are. The seed of curiosity is enough to start receiving the many fruits of healing through which we are all capable of returning to wholeness.
To read more about my personal journey, click here to visit my Wellspring Journal
Professional Training/Experience
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Therapeutic Background
Bachelor of Psychology with 1st class Honours at Curtin University: BSc (Hons 1). My research thesis focussed on the relationship between self-compassion, resilience and mental health outcomes among young people with chronic conditions.
Somatic and trauma-informed psychotherapy training: The Compassionate Inquiry graduate-level certification program, mentorship program and internship program as developed by Dr Gabor Maté. I am a certified Compassionate Inquiry® practitioner.
Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy workshop: Healing attachment traumas.
Non-Violent Communication [NVC] immersion: Cultivating Connection.
Various somatic psychotherapeutic workshops and immersions for professional development (e.g., Internal Family Systems [IFS], Inner Parts Work, Polyvagal Theory on the autonomic nervous system, Compassionate Inquiry Circles).
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Yoga and Meditation
200hr Yoga Teacher Training: Liberation Yoga, Los Angeles, California (2014).
300hr Yoga Teacher Training modules: Hathavidya, Los Angeles, California (2015).
Iyengar yoga intensive courses with the Iyengar family in Pune, India. Workshops and immersions with senior Iyengar teachers in the USA, India and Australia (2014-2020).
Advanced trauma-sensitive yoga teacher training: Yoga for trauma, anxiety, depression and body image with Sarah Ball (2023).
Ten 10-day Vipassana courses: An insight meditation practice for self-transformation through self-observation (2016-present).
Various yoga and meditation workshops for professional development (2014-present).
10 years of experience in guiding Hatha Yoga and Yin Yoga group classes (2014-present).
Ongoing facilitation of women’s retreats internationally: Including yoga, meditation, breath work, somatic group practices, nature-based immersions, etc.
My purpose is to empower people to reconnect with themselves, awaken to their true potential and return to a place of inner and outer balance.
The wellspring for holistic self-healing that I share here is sourced from my personal and professional experience, my formal training and research, as well as my ongoing curiosity to learn, to remember the essence of who we really are and to support authentic transformation.